*cough*

I think I'm coming down with something. Ew. At least if I get sick, it would be a good excuse to sit around and read. (always look at the bright side, right?)

Anyway. Brief recap of where I've been since Traveling Mercies...

The Great Divorce: I love this book so much. It's so abstract and philosophical in some points, but so poetic in its imagery of the mysteries of Heaven, Hell, and redemption. A short, but great read, and a nice one to revisit...

A Wind in the Door: Follow-up to L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time (another of my all-time favorites). Every bit as mysterious, but this time bringing the focus from the planets and galaxies to the realms of microbiology. The final battle for the mitochondrian world was stunning. She's officially on the list of my favorite authors ever at this point.

And now... I've borrowed Christ the Lord by Anne Rice on a recommendation. After reading an interview with her from Relevant magazine, I was curious about it -- I mean, vampire novels to Jesus? Fascinating. I just wasn't too sure if I would enjoy a novelization of Jesus' early life. But my Bible study teacher highly praised/recommended it, and I had a chance to borrow from a co-worker, so why not?

We shall see. I'm not far enough into it to have an opinion yet, but it looks promising.

Already nearly a third of the way into 2007! Currently... I've finished 12 books.

Darn. Need pick up the pace here. :P

Progress... Traveling Mercies Mini-review and Revisiting The Great Divorce

Well, after a minor lull, I think I'm getting back into the swing of regular reading. Yay me.

Traveling Mercies was wonderful. I was so so tempted to pick up Anne Lamott's new book Grace (Eventually) today, but I resisted. But still, I loved this collection of essays. I debated about buying it for a long time... flipped through a few times and wondered if it would be for me. But I had a nice coupon at Borders, so I thought I'd give her a shot. I'm glad I did.

I figure a book that challenges you, that makes you just a touch uncomfortable can be a good thing. That's how I feel about Lamott. She is not your average Christian writer... but she is earthy and raw and honest, and that's why I enjoyed it so much. She may not mind dropping an f-bomb now and then, but if you can look past that and some theological mis-steps to the heart of what she's saying, there are quite a few gems of wisdom underneath. She writes with the honesty of someone who is still seeking, still trying, has been through a lot... but still loves Jesus and trusts through it all.

If I had read this about 5 years ago, I would have probably hated it and been shocked that it would even be found in the Christian books... but I guess all the college literature classes corrupted me or something. I don't agree with everything she writes, but some of her words are so wise and touching, I can't help but appreciate it. Plus, she's got a great literary style all her own. I will definitely be checking out her other books later.

***

Next in line: re-reading The Great Divorce by C. S. Lewis. I must admit... my main reason is because I was sort of put on the spot in my workplace Bible study group. ("Has anyone read The Great Divorce? No? *looks right at me* I bet you have!")

So I guess I have the reputation of C. S. Lewis fan now. :) Yes, I had actually read it before... but it has been so long I couldn't remember what happened to Hell in the end. Time to revisit the Ghosts and their bus ride to Heaven...

Quotable Lamott

A cross-post from Divinest Sense, because it's relevant to the 50 Books (and that good). Skip if it looks familiar. :)

***

"Can you imagine the hopelessness of trying to live a spiritual life when you're secretly looking up at the skies not for illumination or direction but to gauge, miserably, the odds of rain? Can you imagine how discouraging it was for me to live in fear of weather, of drizzle or downpour? Because Christianity is about water: 'Everyone that thirsteth, come ye to the waters.' It's about baptism, for God's sake. It's about full immersion, about falling into something elemental and wet. Most of what we do in worldly life is geared toward our staying dry, looking good, not going under. But in baptism, in lakes and rain and tanks and fonts, you agree to do something that's a little sloppy because at the same time it's so holy, and absurd. It's about surrender, giving in to all those things we can't control; it's a willingness to let go of balance and decorum and get drenched.

There's something so tender about this to me, about being willing to have your makeup wash off, your eyes tear up, your nose start to run. It's tender partly because it harkens back to infancy, to your mother washing your face with love and lots of water, tending to you, making you clean all over again..."

~ Traveling Mercies by Anne Lamott

***

In the midst of my first encounter with Ms. Lamott. Weirdly enough, the essay was originally about her dreadlocks. Yay stream-of-consciousness.

Wasn't sure what I'd make of her, but with only a few essays left it's official... I <3 this book. The End. (more proper thoughts after I finish it... which will probably happen tonight)

The Medieval Helpdesk

Awesomeness. :)